Device for straightening warped doors



m v w ,lllii. W WA 7/ z mm N% 7/ j K 7 M v M 2 Tam/7 f 5 L 4? A m/ M 7 z, 0 w/ ATTORNEYS D. J. VAN EDEN DEVICE FOR STRAIGHTENING WARPED DODHS Filed March 8, 1965 United States Patent C 3,289,353 DEVICE FOR STRAIGHTENING WARPED DOORS Donald J. Van Eden, 1670 Ottawa Beach Road, Holland, Mich. Filed Mar. 8, 1965, Ser. No. 437,873 1 Claim. (Cl. 49-503) This invention relates to devices for exerting force against a warped door in a home or other building to straighten the door back into its original shape and to retain it indefinitely in this shape, and more particularly to a new and improved such device having inventive and desirable features.

Warpage of the entrance and exit doors of homes and other buildings has long been a problem to the owners and tenants of these buildings. One side of these doors is exposed to the wide extremes in temperature and humidity of the out-of-doors environment, whereas the other side of the same doors constantly encounter the greatly different conditions inside the building. This inevitably produces warpage of wooden doors, so that in a relatively short time their operation is impaired and they begin to stick and jam and otherwise close improperly. This improper closure of the warped doors also results in their admitting sizeable drafts of cold air in the Winter season, which not only are annoying and wasteful of heating funds, but also are deleterious to good health as well.

As a result of this bothersome situation, attempts have been made in the past to construct doors in such a manner as to minimize warpage, and attempts have also been made to provide door-straightening devices to correct the warpage once it occurs and prevent further warpage from occurring. While both types of effort have met with some degree of success, the wooden doors continue to warp, and the straightening devices have had their limitations and shortcomings. For example, straightening devices often merely screw into the surface of the door. Consequently, the amount of actual straightening force they are capable of exerting is strictly limited, since even rather small amounts of force have been found to merely strip the screws out of their holes in the door. Further, such devices are for the most part rather unsightly, particularly if they are made to exert the required amount of force, since they incorporate rather crude, utilitarian securing means, and utilize them in the most obvious manner. This has caused most persons to view the cure as even less desirable than the affiiction, and they choose to endure the warpage rather than install the straightening devices.

A further shortcoming of prior straightening devices is that they have failed to provide a way to vary the profile of the force along the height of the door in localized areas, so as to correct for different degrees of warpage which inevitably occur. That is, prior devices merely exerted an identical degree of force against the top and bottom of the door alike. Since warpage is practically never the same at the top and the bottom of the door and along its height between these extremes, prior devices failed to afford the desired measure of flexibility whereby different degrees of force could be applied at different portions of the door.

The present invention provides as its major objective the complete and effective solution to the problems which have been set forth. The invention provides a doorstraightening device which mounts with absolute rigidity to the door in a manner concealed from view. Exterior portions of the device are designed to be attractive and pleasing to the eye, and the entire device presents an appearance which is actually enhancing to the door, in sharp contrast with the unsightliness of previous devices. Further, the present invention provides a desirable way of localizing the straightening force which is to be applied to the door, and of making the degree of this force at specified locations adjustable over a considerable range. Also, the total force which the device is capable of exerting is an absolute maximum, due to a unique anchoring mechanism for the device. Adjustments in the degree of force are facilitated by a unique indexing feature, which also is aesthetically pleasing. Finally, the device is arranged to have all of the foregoing features while enabling full and completely normal use of the door and not in any way interfering with its operation.

The foregoing objects and advantages of the present invention, together with other equally desirable features possessed thereby, will become increasingly apparent upon a full consideration of the following specification and its appended claim, particularly when taken in conjunction with the accompanying illustrative drawings which set forth a preferred embodiment thereof.

In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a broken end elevation, partially in section, view of a typical door upon which the present invention has been installed;

FIG. 2 is an enlarged, fragmentary sectional view taken through the plane II-II of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is an enlarged, fragmentary, central vertical section of the top end of the device shown in FIG. 1; and

FIG. 4 is an enlarged, fragmentary side elevation of the device of FIG. 3, taken along the vertical plane IVIV of that figure.

Briefly stated, the present invention consists of a pair of pressure bars which are mounted upon a warped door in vertical alignment with each other. The pressure bars are placed under tension, and thereby draw the warped and twisted door member into a straight vertical position. Each end of the pressure bars carries a horizontally-disposed threaded member which enters into a suitable mounting aperture formed in the door. A recess is preferably formed into the interior of the door from the side edge thereof, to coincide with these mounting apertures, and threaded anchors are tightened upon the said members to fixedly secure the pressure bars to the door. The anchors have flattened surfaces for bearing against the edge of the recess in the door when firmly tightened onto the pressure bar threaded member. Further, the ends of the pressure bar are preferably shaped to extend over and beyond the point where the threaded member enters the door so as to protectively cover the mounting aperture through which the members pass. This preferred extension provides a surface for abutting against the outside of the door when the anchor is securely tightened into place, and this completely hides the mounting aperture and seals it to prevent water or moisture from entering the interior of the door through the aperture. The extension thus provides an added aesthetic quality, as well as the highly desirable functional qualities described. The pressure bar normally bows slightly outward between its end extremities, and means are provided between the door and the bar to force the latter outward away from the door, thereby putting it into tension and drawing the door straight. The latter means is preferably a threaded stud or bolt-like member having a head which engages the inner surface of the pressure bar to force it outward, and an adjusting nut by which the stud may be forced outward away from the door. The head of the stud or bolt-like member is recessed to match the surface of the pressure bar, so that the latter fits neatly into the recess. This indexes the stud against rotational movement when its adjusting nut is turned, and also enhances the over-all appearance of the device.

Referring now in more detail to the drawings, in FIG. 1 a typical wooden door 10 is seen from one of its side edges, the door 10 being in a closed position in which it fits between the usual threshold 12 at its bottom end and overhead sill 14 at its top. A pair of the straightening .devices of the present invention are installed upon the door 10, including an upper device 16 and a lower device 18, which are substantially identical. As the figure shows, the straightening devices 16 and 18 are typically attached to the outer surface of the door, since the atmospheric conditions on this side of the door almost always produce a warpage which is convex on the outside and concave on the inside surfaces of the door. FIG. 1 depicts a door constructed according to the common hollow core concept, in which the door is comprised of a pair of oppositely disposed outer surface panels connected by horizontal cross members 20, 22 and 24, and generally, vertical stiles (not shown), which give the door the required amount of structural rigidity.

Both the upper device 16 and the lower device 18 include an elongate pressure bar 26 which preferably is a strong and substantially rigid metal bar. This may be of round, square, or other desired cross section,-but will be here described as being round, which is the most preferred shape. The pressure bar of the upper device is attached at one of its ends to the cross bar 20 of the door, just above its handle 28, and the pressure bar of the lower device 18 is similarly attached to the cross bar 20, just below the handle 28. The upper end of the pressure bar in device 16 is attached to the uppermost cross bar 24 of the door, near the top of the door, while the lowermost end of the pressure bar in device 18 is attached to the lowermost cross bar 22 of the door, very nearly at the bottom of the door.

As will be observed in FIG. 1, each of the pressure bars 26 is normally bowed slightly away from the outer surface of door 10. Further, a pair of adjustable forcing means 30 are positioned between each pressure bar and the surface of the door, and serve to force the pressure bar outward away from the door to put the bar in tension and draw the door straight, as will be explained subsequently. All of the forcing means 30 are identical to each other, and their nature is shown more specifically in FIG. 2.

Each of the forcing means 30 includes a threaded boltlike device 32 which extends into the interior of the door through an appropriate aperture 34 formed therein. The

bolt-like device 32 carries an enlarged head portion 36 at its end without the door, and an adjusting nut is threadedly engaged upon its shank portion. It is to be noted that the head portion 36 of the bolt 32 has a groove or recess 38 formed transversely across its surface. This recess is shaped in cross section to complement the crosssectional shape of the pressure bar 26. Consequently, when the bolt-like device is forced outwardly from the door, its head portion 36 engages the inner side of the pressure bar and receives the same into recess 38, as FIG. 2 shows. In this position, the pressure bar serves to index the bolt device 52 and prevent it from any undesired rotation which might otherwise occur when the adjusting nut 40 is tightened against a backing washer 42 abutting the surface of the door 10 to force the bolt 32 outward against pressure bar 26. All exterior surfaces of the forcing means 30, as well as similar surfaces of the adjusting bar itself, are preferably finished in an appealing manner, as by a desirable plating, and consequently, the aligned groove relationship between the head 36 of the bolt device 32 and the pressure bar 26 presents a particularly appealing exterior appearance which belies its desirable functional characteristics.

The preferred manner in which the ends of the pressure bars 26 are secured in position upon the door 10 is generally indicated in FIG. 1, and specifically shown in FIG. 3, to which reference is now made. It is first to be noted that in accordance with this method of securing, a recess 44 is formed into the interior of the door 10 at each point that an end of a pressure bar is to be secured. The recesses 44 are formed into the door from its side edge, as shown in FIG. 1, and in the event the door is of the hollow core variety, the recesses should be formed in the cross members 20, 22 and 24. Since the door is retained against warpage to at least some extent by its hinges, most warpage occurs at its free side opposite the hinges, and it is this side to which the locking mechanism and handles are mounted. The pressure bars normally are mounted only a few inches inside this edge, and the recesses 44 need not be particularly deep.

An appropriate mounting aperture 46 (FIG. 3) is formed through the outer surface of the door into each of the recesses 44. Each end of each pressure bar 26 carries a threaded mounting stud 48 (FIG. 3) which extends directly away from the longitudinal axis of the pressure bar, substantially normal to the surface of the door. This stud 48 is inserted to the mounting aperture 46 in the door, into the interior of the recessed portion 44, and as it is so inserted, a backing plate 50 is telescoped over it and an anchor nut 52 is threaded upon it to draw the bar securely against the material forming the door, with the backing plate 50 bearing against the side edge of the recess 44.

It should particularly be noted that, as shown in FIG. 3, the ends of the pressure bars 26 preferably carry a longitudinally-extending lip portion 54 which extends beyond the cover mounting aperture 46 completely. Further, the lip 54 should have a substantially flat, planar rear surface for contacting the surface of the door 10 when anchor nut 52 is firmly tightened down upon mounting stud 48, and the latter is drawn through the mounting aperture 46 the maximum extent. Thus, lip 54 serves to distribute the mounting force exerted by the anchor over a larger area of the door surface, while also completely covering the aperture to prevent any moisture, etc. from entering therethrough.

The nature of the lip portion 54 is further shown in FIG. 4, in connection with the preferred rounded shape of pressure bar. This figure illustrates the distance which the lip may extend beyond the perimeter of the mount ing aperture 46 in the door, and beyond that of the mounting stud 48 as Well. FIG. 4 further illustrates the smoothly curved configuration which is preferably embodied in the gradual narrowing of the end of the bar 26 into its lip 54. This adds a desirable aesthetic quality to the outward appearance of the complete structure, since the bar appears to gracefully curve toward the door and terminate with lip 54, and the manner in which it is anchored to the door is in no way visible. Further, the actual anchoring of the pressure bars to the door is completely rigid and unyielding, and so strong that it is doubtful whether the warpage of any door could exert such a degree of force against the straightening device so as to pull its anchored ends out of their placement.

When the novel door-straightening device of the present invention is installed in place upon a warped door in the manner previously set forth herein, with each of the ends of each of the pressure bars firmly anchored in place, the novel features of the operation of the device become more apparent. That is, by providing a separate pair of pressure bars which are each firmly anchored to the door, and by providing with each of these separate pressure bars a pair of the forcing means 30, the particular degree of straightening force which each particular door demands at various locations along its warped edge may be applied by adjusting the force means 30 to vary the force profile along the edge of the door in precisely the manner required. Thus, the top of the door may have warped considerably more than the bottom. If only a single pressure bar were used, or if the pressure bar utilized only single forcing means, then the same degree of force will be exerted at each end of the pressure bar. In this situation, a compromise is required between the amount of force necessary to straighten one end of the door and the amount of force required to straighten the other end thereof. This results in a situation Where no such door is ever completely straightened.

The features made available by the present inventive device provide a way for applying different amounts of force at different points along the door, and this achieves results which are inherently impossible in previous straightening devices. Moreover, this operation is produced through a device having excellent appearance characteristics, which instead of detracting from the appearance of the door and making it unsightly actually augments its appearance quality. Also, the novel straightening device is relatively easy to secure to any typical door, and once it has been so secured, it is completely dependable and is practically indestructible. Further, in the event that years of usage and exposure serve to increase or alter the warpage of the door, the straightening force may be changed to suit the new conditions by the simplest of adjustments, although naturally any door having such a straightening device is not likely to undergo any notable additional warpage.

Having now fully and completely set forth the details of a preferred embodiment of the present invention, it may be that those skilled in the art to which it pertains will after studying the foregoing disclosure conceive of certain variations and modifications in particular features or details of the invention without departing from its spirit and while continuing to use the concept which un derlies it. Accordingly, all such modifications and variations are to be considered a part of the invention and within its scope, unless the claim appended below by its language expressly states otherwise.

I claim:

Apparatus for straightening warped doors, comprising in combination with a door: a pair of substantially rigid upper and lower elongate tension members; said members each having a threaded portion near each end thereof extending away from the axis of the member at an angle and directly'toward the door substantially normal thereto; anchor means threadable upon said threaded tension member portions for securing the said member fixedly to the door; a plurality of vertically aligned externally concealed spaced recesses formed in the interior of said door; each such recess receiving one of said anchor means and being located such that engagement of the anchors and tension member portions mounts the tension members in vertical alignment downward from the top of the door and upward from the bottom thereof with a space between the members in the area of the door knob, permitting easy actuation thereof; each of said anchor means having a generally fiat surface for hearing against an internal wall of said recesses in securing said tension members to the door; and a pair of adjustable force-exerting means positioned between said door and each of said tension members, for forcing such members outward and away from the door with different degrees of force determined by the relative positioning and adjustment of each of said force means, thereby putting said members in tension and drawing their anchored ends outwardly, straightening the door; said force-exerting means each comprising a threaded male member with one end contacting the inner surface of the tension member and the other end passing into the door a distance, and a threaded female member engaged with said male; said end of said male member contacting said tension member having a recessed portion complementary in cross section to that of the tension member for receiving at least a portion of said member therein, whereby said male member is indexed against rotation; and said female member bearing against the surface of the door and forcing the male and the tension member seated thereagainst outward away from the door by relative threading adjustments between the male and female members.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 275,832 4/1883 Lockwood 52-291 1,145,608 7/1915 Morton 52-291 2,786,242 3/1957 Stephans 52291 HARRISON R. MOSELEY, Primary Examiner, KENNETH DOWNEY, Examiner, 

